What would you like to play/run? (Interest Catch-all)

[tibbius]

Ok, does anyone else want to post here?

We must aid the Woodfolk queen's healer against the terrible worm, in the wyrded valley of the Starkin, while a pestilence afflicts our friend Galudor (a simple Woodfolk hunter) - whom the queen's healer is ignoring in her focus on the worm. Meanwhile, rumors say that a crown of unknown origin has some bearing on the queen's rule.

[tibbius]

hrrrm. Ah, hello again, folks.

Would it be ok to post a new thread in this forum, recruiting for a game on rpg.net?

[Leitz]

Would it be ok to post a new thread in this forum, recruiting for a game on rpg.net?

I left rpg.net because of their aggressive political stance, and don't plan on going back. You run good games, sorry things aren't jumping for your 24xx based stuff. It really doesn't click in my brain, but I'm used to being odd in a group of odds. I couldn't even get into Fate, though some of the system ideas are right up my alley.

[tibbius]

Would it be ok to post a new thread in this forum, recruiting for a game on rpg.net?

I left rpg.net because of their aggressive political stance, and don't plan on going back. You run good games, sorry things aren't jumping for your 24xx based stuff. It really doesn't click in my brain, but I'm used to being odd in a group of odds. I couldn't even get into Fate, though some of the system ideas are right up my alley.

I'm generally a progressive, but I'm also a realist, and I agree about the politics over there - it's a nutty kind of left wing echo chamber that sometimes exceeds my credulity or patience. I just keep my mouth shut on that stuff.

[rredmond]

That's why I like that Unseen Servant is so focused, we don't have reason to even get near politics here. No reason to really discuss real world anything! Ah, so nice. No politics and a great group of people to play with!! Can't ask for much more!

I'm going to let Greg answer this question though tibbius. We've advertised on other boards for games here, and you've really been a creative, interactive and positive member of the Unseen Servant crew for a while now. But I know that this gets dicey, and other members here can get protective of Unseen Servant , but that's usually when folks start recruiting without being a member here, and without asking; and like I said you've been a pretty stand up member here. But ultimately it's Greg's board and his call.

Thank you.

[Leitz]

I'm generally a progressive, but I'm also a realist, and I agree about the politics over there - it's a nutty kind of left wing echo chamber that sometimes exceeds my credulity or patience. I just keep my mouth shut on that stuff.

I seldom let divergent politics intrude on a good friendship. What got me was expressing support for a duly elected administration was a bannable offense. I figured to save them and me the trouble of tossing me.

As a player I wouldn't mind the advertisement since I may, um, have advertised US elsewhere. As rredmond said, though, it's Greg's call.

[tibbius]

That's why I like that Unseen Servant is so focused, we don't have reason to even get near politics here. No reason to really discuss real world anything! Ah, so nice. No politics and a great group of people to play with!! Can't ask for much more!

TOTALLY.

[dmw71]

I didn't see this discussion until after I had already responded here.

Greg also replied in your cross-post of this in the Admin section.

I agree with everything Ron said, though.

[Leitz]

On a different note, I'm trying to figure something out without getting too depressed about it.

My wife says my gaming style is "different"; but wives say things politely to keep our fragile male egos intact. A friend described my style as "epic", but I think he too was being nice. What I do know is that there are roughly thirty DMs actively running great games here, and I have bowed out of games run by ten of them. That's both A) All the games I've been in and B) Not touching on games that I didn't feel called to.

The "common denominator" theory has me mildly worried, and this is magnified by the high quality of the DMs themselves. Most of the time I bowed out I felt there was a mis-fit between the game in play and the way I was approaching it. I've left a few games when I joined too many, but usually I find myself just not fitting in.

Not sure what to do. Even running a game "my way" has crashed at a 3-2 score, IIRC.

[Quonundrum]

How would you describe your gaming style?

Do you feel in each case the mis-fit was irreconcilable?

[Paladin]

On a different note, I'm trying to figure something out without getting too depressed about it.

My wife says my gaming style is "different"; but wives say things politely to keep our fragile male egos intact. A friend described my style as "epic", but I think he too was being nice. What I do know is that there are roughly thirty DMs actively running great games here, and I have bowed out of games run by ten of them. That's both A) All the games I've been in and B) Not touching on games that I didn't feel called to.

The "common denominator" theory has me mildly worried, and this is magnified by the high quality of the DMs themselves. Most of the time I bowed out I felt there was a mis-fit between the game in play and the way I was approaching it. I've left a few games when I joined too many, but usually I find myself just not fitting in.

Not sure what to do. Even running a game "my way" has crashed at a 3-2 score, IIRC.

I feel this 100%. Each of the three games I've tried to run here have felt off to me, somehow. Like I was trying to run it my way, but it wasn't working. Or I wasn't getting through to the players in such a way that they understood what options were available.

I think I get lost trying to translate my style from the tabletop to the forum. It works great with a dozen people around a big table throwing dice all at once. I can rule on the fly, call for random rolls, and keep it rolling. Somehow it falls flat in pbp. I haven't been satisfied at all. Despite having some very talented players (including you).

Even when I'm just playing, I've also bowed out of so many games that I feel guilty even asking to join a new one nowdays. The DM is typically great, and the other players are fine. The problem is me.

Anyway. Excuse me for being a navel-gazing thread hijacker. I was just mulling this over yesterday and your post brought it back into focus.

[Leitz]

How would you describe your gaming style?

Do you feel in each case the mis-fit was irreconcilable?

I had to ponder this for a bit. The US DMs have been great but I haven't been able to figure out a solution. Here are the things I enjoy.

Planning On another board I was asked to leave a game because I wasn't action-y enough. The game was space exploration and I guess the DM didn't like my logistics solution for allowing our ship to go futher and last longer than the competition. Generally my plans are pretty mild, in game terms. In the AFG game my character's long term goal was to rebuild the hometown population. Not for him to be in charge, but just to have more workers working and children playing. Gaming is often an outlet for achievements that I personally am unsuited for, and I love to plan.

(N)PC Interaction Either as DM or as another player, I enjoy encouraging and enabling others. In one game, a player had an interesting angle to the PC back-story and was okay with me adding some details. That side game was one of the most fun things I've ever run; I really enjoyed seeing the player engage so well. Another player, on another board, showed interest in a random but attractive lady. The relationship grew, and she took him home to meet Daddy. Sadly, for the PC, he also met "husband". It worked out though, with just a little bit of killing.

Epic Some of my plans are epic. One of my characters was supposed to help destroy a meson gun emplacement before an invasion. Instead, he instigated a revolution and made the invasion moot. Other plans are homey, like the guy who wanted to find a wife and raise come kids. Adventuring was just a revenue stream for the farm. No matter who I play, there is a plan in mind. It may not impact the game directly, but it drives the character.

Story This is the heart of it. The DMs who give me leeway to write stories about the game are my favorites. I'll often ask for parameters, and usually stay within them (don't ask about the severed head in the hope chest).

[Rex]

Your style would fit in well at my FTF HarnmMaster game, but I am not sure its really suited to PBP. I actually have very different styles of play in FTF and PBP. My PBP has certainly evolved some as I have played longer and in more games. the 1 game I ran on here was good, and it ran to completion but it was difficult for me to run as my DMing style is not the best for PBP (viewforum.php?f=632). I keep telling myself I will give it another shot but just haven't gotten around to it.

[Leitz]

Your style would fit in well at my FTF HarnmMaster game, but I am not sure its really suited to PBP.

One of my most terrifying failures happened here. I started a game, and just shy of the first full week one of the player's had his character shoot himself in the head. He posted late at night, and I spent hours trying to contact him and scared to death that he had acted out what he had written.

He was fine, but felt the game was going too slow. I try to communicate a little better when I leave a game.

[Quonundrum]

You have a fascinating gaming style that's like an amalgam of immersive role play and an old school Chainmail era application of careful planning and strategy. It may be friction between how your carefully developed characters and their ambitions (however mundane or epic) interact within the confines of the game's parameters or expression of the rules. Perhaps your coder mind is generating a form of cognitive dissonance, viewing these frictions as fatal bugs in the program?

[Leitz]

You have a fascinating gaming style ...

I knew I liked you.

While I read the Chainmail rules many years ago, and starting gaming in the era the the little brown books (and little black books for Traveller), that part of my mindset comes from later era wargaming like WRG, Armati, DBx, etc.

The conundrum is that great DMs come up with awesome games, but I haven't found the right style fit. No fit means no fun, despite everyone else enjoying it. I'll figure this out eventually.

[Quonundrum]

I'd be very interested to know when you do find a good fit. Sounds like the style would be close to my ideal, as well. I think it's a common problem though, given the usual rate of attrition for PbP games. The lack of immediate feeeback and non-verbal cues certainly makes it more difficult for players and DMs to organically adapt to a compatible style.

[Leitz]

An issue would be describing the style well enough so that more of the challenges could be avoided. For example, I don't normally kill characters if they are playing well. There's a "rule" in the old 7th Sea (R&K version) game where the player and DM talk about how the character will die. This is done before the game even starts, so the player has some leeway to be a swash-buckling heroic type. That doesn't mean the PC can't be injured severely, imprisoned, or whatever; just that they won't die and be gone. I like the idea of that, it gives the PCs some room to be heroic. Not stupid, just heroic. One of my less than successful games failed when I just couldn't figure out how to convey that to the players.

Another issue is having things already in process. When I play, I like to find out what's going on and connect with that, if possible. When I run a game, things are going on and the PCs have the option to get involved. The upside is that there's a big story in process and the PCs get to be heroes if they join in. The downside is that finding out what's really going on can take time. It means the players need to be driven enough to engage put patient enough to wait a scene or two before they start creating their own stories.

[Gomezthebarbarian]

This is just a “throw it out there and see what nibbles” attempt to gauge interest and whatever else. I have acquired the Low Fantasy Gaming “Deluxe” book and Midland setting resource. I’m thinking about running a game yet would be a slow back burner at the beginning. I’d like to know if anyone has played the game and thoughts about it. Would anyone want to play Low Fantasy Gaming with its sword & sorcery vibe?

[SilverBen]

@Gomez, I havent played Midland or this rule set but am happy to play in a low fantasy game in PbP, learning as we go. My experience is limited to D&D in 1st and 2nd editions (I did not like the direction they took the rules in 3rd 4th and 5th edition) but I am flexible to learning new systems if you need players.